Fatima by Lulu Nancarrow, Our Lady of Good Hope School

My life and the lives of others could be saved by the revival in practicing the first five Saturdays. The first five Saturdays were given by Our Lady of Fatima to one of the visionaries, Sister Lucia, Sister Lucia obediently helped spread this devotion. We are called to spread this devotion, but in all different ways. In this passage, I will explain how the first five Saturdays came to be, what the first five Saturdays are, why we practice it, and how you and I could spread this devotion. 

The first five Saturdays started when Mary appeared to Sister Lucia on December 10th, 1925. This was Mary fulfilling the promise she made at the miracle of Fatima. At Fatima, Mary told the children to offer up sufferings for the poor souls and to recite the rosary every day for the conversion of sinners. Mary said if her request were granted, she would return and ask for a worldwide establishment of devotion to her Immaculate Heart. Since Mary's request for more rosaries was granted, she appeared to Sister Lucia in Pontravenda, Spain. Mary showed Lucia her heart surrounded by thorns, stating, "See my daughter, my heart surrounded with thorns with which ingrates pierce me at every moment with blasphemies and ingratitude.” Because of this, Mary requested that for five consecutive months, on the first Saturday of each month, to go to confession, receive Holy Communion, pray five decades of the rosary, and meditate for fifteen minutes on the mysteries of the rosary, with the intention of atonement. This is called the first five Saturdays. Mary also promised that, for those who practiced this devotion, she would assist them at the hour of their death with the graces necessary for their salvation and to secure their eternal salvation. 

We are supposed to do the first five Saturdays because of how much all of humanity has offended our Lord and the Mother of God. We do this out of repentance for our wrongdoings and out of sorrow for piercing Mary's heart. Mary even showed Lucia her heart surrounded with thorns and how much she is hurt by our sins, as well as how Jesus is. She explained to Lucia that the number five corresponds to the five kinds of offenses towards her Immaculate heart. The five offenses are blasphemies against her immaculate conception, blasphemies against her virginity, blasphemies against her Divine Maternity, attempts to put hatred in her children's hearts toward her, and insulting sacred images. Though we have offended Mary in many other ways, these are the offenses for which she most wanted atonement; we must repent by practicing this. Mary didn't just call us to practice it but share it with others. Mary calls us as her children to come to her in times of need. She wants to have a good relationship with us because she is our very own mother. Mary is asking us to bring as many people to her as we can. We are all called to live out her message. The first way I plan to live out this devotion is by practicing it myself, because before I ask others to do it with me, I need to know I can do it on my own. Then, once I get into a good habit and routine of following it, I will bring my family into it by asking them to practice with me every month. If my family and I get into a routine of practicing it, we can start really appreciating how much joy we give Jesus by comforting his loving mother. When we actually reflect on why we are practicing this devotion, we find a greater love for the Eucharist. This is because Jesus gives himself completely to us in the Eucharist, and during the first five Saturdays, we are working on giving ourselves as a total self-gift to Mary. One thing that really motivates me to practice it is when St. Carlo Acutis explained an important reason we practice this devotion. Carlo once had a dream conversation with Jacinta. In this conversation, she told him that practicing the first five Saturdays "could change the destiny of the world." She also said how important it is to make little sacrifices for the poor souls and to say the rosary for them, too. Carlos' mother said he started acting differently after this dream and began taking his life more seriously. We should all begin taking life a bit more seriously by devoting ourselves to doing God's will. One way to start is by asking God for the grace to persevere in practicing the first five Saturdays. If you already practice it, try to get family members or even classmates to do it with you. When you share this devotion to others, and they have an open heart to it, it can really powerfully affect them. 

I like to think of the Fatima message as how we can become saints. If we truly devote ourselves to practicing it, we can make big changes in the world for the good. Jesus and Mary are calling us to spread this devotion. It will help you see your faith in a better perspective in ways you have never seen before. We need to open our hearts to what is truly important: doing the will of our Father. We do that by answering to Mary with a yes. 

Sources: 
Links-https://www.fatimafwsb.org/ 
https://americaneedsfatima.org/prayers/the-five-first-saturdays-devotion 
https://www.heraldsusa.org/mission/first-saturday-devotion